Wilton Manors Gazette

The planned Walmart in Oakland Park has been approved by Broward County and Oakland Park. Now, all that’s left is a review of the plans.

Steven Wherry, the Fort Lauderdale attorney representing Walmart, said Walmart’s property plat was recently approved by Broward County officials. The new Walmart will be where the former Kmart was located, 670 E Oakland Park Blvd.

According to the Broward County website, “Under Florida law, platting is simply the subdivision of property as recorded in the official records. In Broward County, platting is also used to evaluate the impacts of a proposed development on regional facilities and services.”

Now, all that’s left is to work with county staff to make sure the plat paperwork is created properly. After that, he said Walmart will begin applying for permits to demolish the old Kmart building and to build the new structure.

Wherry said that process could be done in about a month, but he’s not sure of an exact date yet. He also doesn’t know yet when demolition or construction will begin.

The proposed 121,345 square foot store, which is 4,000 square feet bigger than the former Kmart building, was approved by Oakland Park commissioners at the end of 2016 and will employ an estimated 300 to 350 people. The site will have 510 parking spaces and solar panels will be installed to provide some of the building’s energy needs. Walmart will also hire an off-duty BSO deputy to provide extra security.

Store hours will be from 5 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily and it will only be open 24 hours during three days chosen by Walmart. Per an agreement with Oakland Park, the only way the store can be open 24 hours on more than those three days is if the city allows one of Walmart’s competitors to open 24 hours. Wherry said the days chosen by Walmart will most likely revolve around high-traffic shopping days, such as Black Friday.

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